At its core, Curlew’s songs are anecdotal recounts of stories, experiences and opinions to strike a point. This is not background music; instead, it demands your attention, and failure will inevitably diminish the effect. That is not to be taken the wrong way, however, merely acknowledgement that the purpose of the music is fundamentally different. It is a grounded, unrestrained take on the seemingly mundane – so much so that nothing (not even the topic of old sausages) is safe from being looked at philosophically. Listening, actually listening anyway, should prompt thought and reflection; even if not, it’s a challenge to listen to the lyrics and not feel something. Sure, it won’t be the urge to dance, but it may instead be something more meaningful. The music shapes the stage upon which these ideas are expressed rather than being itself the drive of the act. In that way it is somewhat akin to a movie – the music influences feelings and reactions during the telling of a story. It is, however, pointed in that all arguments and opinions are presented bluntly – all cards are on the table if you will. As well as the more… common topics, the unreserved nature forces consideration of the controversial and, at times, the depressing. The effect is most poignant in that the manner doesn’t change – love and purpose are looked at in the same vein as suicide; discretion is a non-factor. Reactions will vary. Reviews "it’s an album of exquisite, and exquisitely painful, beauty – a sparse malaise of contemplation, rumination and ruin, all spun in a instrumental narrative that is both spare and dense, an exercise in steely tension and gallows humour, an extraordinary existence borne from the sweatboxes of suburban Brisbane, spat under hooded eyes and a sly yet weary grin." Sonic Masala "Bleak days, black nights, searching for solace in the sauce, sweating out a hangover, smoking your teeth yellow; I can hear that stuff in the chords. Curlew place a lot on your shoulders, but few bands reward you so much for your commitment." Weirdo Wasteland